Women's Health Policy

ABORTION IN THE U.S.

KFF infographic explaining who regulates mifepristone, showing four entities and their roles: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves and regulates medications for safety and effectiveness; state legislatures pass laws that can restrict or protect access; courts rule on legal cases affecting regulation; and Congress can pass federal legislation influencing regulation.

Louisiana v. FDA: Access to Mifepristone

Louisiana sued the FDA in October 2025, claiming the FDA’s 2023 regulatory change eliminating the requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in-person—allowing it to be mailed or dispensed at retail pharmacies—harm the state's ability to enforce its abortion ban. This brief reviews the Louisiana v. FDA case and provides an overview of the other pending litigation involving mifepristone, as well as the mounting tension between states seeking to protect abortion and those banning the provision of abortion.

CONTRACEPTIve care IN THE U.S.

An Update on Medicaid, Title X and Planned Parenthood

This brief provides an update on Planned Parenthood clinic closures and participation in the Title X program amid substantial policy changes resulting in funding reductions. These changes include the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the withholding of federal Title X funding to Planned Parenthood clinics.

SELECTED RESOURCES

Over-the-Counter Oral Contraceptive Pills

In July 2023, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive pill to become available over the counter (OTC) without a doctor’s prescription. This issue brief provides an overview of OTC oral contraceptives and laws and policies related to insurance coverage.

featured

A promotional image for the the KFF Health Policy 101 Issues in Women’s Health chapter

Health Policy Issues in Women’s Health

Examine the core health coverage and access issues —shaped by federal and state policies—that affect women’s health today, including health coverage and costs, reproductive health services, maternal health, mental health, and intimate partner violence.

State Profiles for Women’s Health

Explore the latest national and state-specific data and policies on women’s health. Topics include health status, insurance and Medicaid coverage, use of preventive services, sexual health, maternal and infant health, and abortion policies. Many indicators provide state-level information for women of different racial and ethnic groups.

The essentials
  • Women’s Health Insurance Coverage

    This factsheet reviews major sources of coverage for women residing in the U.S., discusses the ACA's impact on coverage, and the coverage challenges that many women continue to face.
  • Medicaid Coverage for Women

    This data note presents key data points describing the current state of the Medicaid program as it affects women, including eligibility, reproductive health, chronic conditions, and more.
  • Dobbs: What are the Implications for Racial Disparities?

    This analysis examines the implications of the Dobbs decision and state restrictions on abortion coverage for racial disparities in access to care and health outcomes.
  • State Health Facts: Women's Health Indicators

    Information on women’s health status, utilization of services, health insurance coverage, family planning and childbirth, and abortion statistics and policies.
  • Key Facts on Abortion in the United States

    This report answers some key questions about abortion in the United States and presents data collected before the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

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  • The Entertainment Media as “Sex Educators?” And, Other Ways Teens Learn About Sex, Contraception, STDs, and AIDS

    Other Post

    The Entertainment Media as "Sex Educators?" And, Other Ways Teens Learn About Sex, Contraception, STDs, and AIDS A fact sheet, Q&A and resource list prepared for a briefing held in New York on June 24, 1996, co-sponsored by Kaiser Family Foundation, the National Press Foundation and The Alan Guttmacher Institute, as part of an ongoing briefing series for journalist on reproductive health issues: Emerging Issues in Reproductive Health. This briefing focused on understanding the different…

  • Contraception in the 90’s:  Which Methods Are Most Widely Used? And, Who Uses What?

    Fact Sheet

    Contraception in the 90's: Which Methods Are Most Widely Used? And, Who Uses What? A fact sheet and resource list on new contraceptive use data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) from a briefing on the topic held in New York City on June 20, 1997. Contraception In The 90s: Which Methods Are Most Widely Used?And, Who Uses What? was co-sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the National Press Foundation and The…

  • Survey on Public Knowledge and Attitudes on Contraception and Unplanned Pregnancy in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands

    Other Post

    D. Knowledge of Teen Pregnancy D1. Now I'm going to ask you some questions about teenagers, that is, young women between the ages of 12 and 19. Do you think that the percentage of teenagers in the United States who engage in sexual intercourse is increasing, decreasing, or is it about the same as ten years ago? Asked only in the U.S. USA18+ Increasing 73% Decreasing 9% Same 17% Not sure/Refused 1% D2. What percentage…

  • Emergency Contraception: Resources for Providers

    Other Post

    This publication is a resource manual for health care providers to increase awareness and access to emergency contraception to women by making available information about emergency contraception, and how to use this option. Emergency Contraception: Resources for Providers

  • Is There Room for Conscience without Compromising Access? Are Affiliations Between Religious and Secular Health Care Organizations Threatening Access?

    Fact Sheet

    These resources were prepared for a briefing held for journalists in New York City on November 4, 1997 in New York City as part of a joint program by The Alan Guttmacher Institute, The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Press Foundation. This program focused on mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, joint ventures, and other affiliations between Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals and health systems and the effect these affiliations have on access to reproductive health services.

  • Emergency Contraception: All Talk and No Action?

    Fact Sheet

    A fact sheet, Q&A and resource list prepared for a briefing held for journalists in New York City on December 18, 1997 in New York City as part of a joint program by The Alan Guttmacher Institute, The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Press Foundation. This program focused on efforts to break through barriers to emergency contraception, as well as future opportunities for expanding access. New surveys conducted for the Kaiser Family Foundation of…

  • Medicaid Enrollment Patterns During the Postpartum Year

    Issue Brief

    A provision in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 gives states a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months via a state plan amendment. This new option took effect on April 1, 2022 and is available to states for five years. Using Medicaid claims data from 2018, this brief examines enrollment patterns in the year following childbirth.

  • Women who Give Birth Incur Nearly $19,000 in Additional Health Costs, Including $2,854 More that They Pay Out of Pocket

    News Release

    The health care costs associated with pregnancy and childbirth average almost $19,000, including $2,854 paid out-of-pocket, a new KFF analysis of large employers’ insurance claims finds. Unlike other analyses that examine costs of specific pregnancy-related services, such as a vaginal or cesarean delivery, this new analysis compares three years of health care claims for reproductive-aged women who gave birth to claims for women who had not given birth. The analysis finds women who give birth…

  • Medicaid’s New Option to Extend Postpartum Coverage for 12 Months Could Prevent Hundreds of Thousands of Enrollees from Losing Coverage in the Months After Delivery

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis finds that hundreds of thousands of people are disenrolled from Medicaid each year after giving birth, which could be prevented if all states were to take up a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months. The estimate – based on analysis of Medicaid claims data from 2018 – finds that 610,000 postpartum women were disenrolled within a year of giving birth, accounting for about 40 percent of the…